Demon Blood: The Story of InuYami
by Ruthie of the Wildcats
Summary: [Complete]My first InuYasha fic. InuYami, the daughter of everyone's favorite Dogboy, discovers an artifact of the past that may well bring about her father's destruction. The last chapter is up. Thanks to everyone who read this!
1. Chapter 1

"Maa! InuYami's growling at me!" Tsugaru whined.

"Oh, I am not!" InuYami snarled. "You're just being a baby, that's all!"

"InuYami, stop frightening your brother," Kagome ordered. "Tsugaru, just walk away. She'll stop bothering you if you don't acknowledge her." She waited until the pair had stormed away sullenly before turning to InuYasha.

"Don't look at me like that, Kagome," the hanyou said simply, flicking Myouga off of his nose. "They're just as much your kids as they are mine."

"InuYasha," Kagome murmured, sitting beside him, "I'm worried about them. I know siblings don't get along well, but those two are impossible. I know InuYami is your pride and joy, but..."

"She's what I always wanted to be: a youkai. I've taught her all I know." InuYasha sighed. "She's bound to be unpredictable. She's all demon." He sighed again. "There is a difference between a half demon and a whole demon, Kagome. A _big_ difference. Besides, Tsugaru isn't exactly a model hanyou."

"He's your son!" Kagome snapped, causing InuYasha to jump. The white-haired hanyou faced Kagome for the first time that whole conversation.

"I know. And InuYami is my daughter." He took Kagome's hands. "I know. And I'll have a talk with InuYami as soon as I can. Tomorrow, I promise."

Kagome gazed deep into his golden eyes. "All right..." She smiled and pulled InuYasha into a hug. InuYasha did not hesitate to show this human affection like he used to. He pulled her just as close. He was just about to let out a contented sigh when his white dog ears twitched. He whipped around.

"SHIPPOU!" he barked. "GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!"

"Aww...Aren't you two just the cutest!" the young fox demon cooed. InuYasha snarled and flung a shoe at him. Shippou ducked neatly under the projectile and invited himself into the house. He stood up. No longer was Shippou a tiny fluffball. He had grown in the past twenty years. He now stood lean and tall, his tail bushy and long.

"_Out_, Shippou!" InuYasha growled.

"Haven't you ever heard of a door?" Kagome asked angrily.

"Doors are for suckers," Shippou said. "Windows are better. Besides, I don't have to knock at a window." He grinned. "So, what's the problem? What can I do to help?"

"You can leave," InuYasha grumbled, grabbing a second shoe.

"Oh, come on. Tsugaru loves his Uncle Shippou. Maybe I could get him away from InuYami for a while. We could go play fetch or whatever it is he's into nowadays."

"Tsugaru hasn't played fetch ever since I told him it's dishonorable for a dog demon," InuYasha said stubbornly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And perhaps we should give him the talk about what some people in Kagome's world do...You know, with _foxes_ and _hounds_...?"

Shippou faltered. "You wouldn't..."

InuYasha leapt to his feet and started to chase Shippou. He pursued the young demon around the room, barking and snapping. Shippou shouted, Kagome lectured, InuYasha panted, playing the part of a foxhound. After the two had raced around the room somewhere in the realm of four times, Kagome had had enough. "SIT!" she cried.

"AACK!" InuYasha howled as he fell to the ground. Shippou continued running, and when the opportunity presented itself, jumped straight through the window without missing a step. InuYasha sat up dizzily. "What...?"

"Sorry," Kagome said, helping him to his feet. "It slipped out...I'm just so used to doing it...Even though I haven't done it in almost twenty years..."

InuYasha began shouting angrily at her. He was annoyed now. Kagome shouted back, and before long, a full-fledged argument had broken out. Raised voices and angry cries rang through the house.

Tsugaru yelped fearfully and ran to his only comfort: InuYami. He pounded his fist on her door, whimpering softly. InuYami answered it. The hostility had left her gold eyes, and had been replaced with concern. She opened the door wider for Tsugaru to enter. The hanyou scrambled into his sister's room.

Tsugaru was short for his age, six. He had pale brown eyes and long, black hair. His ears were human, unlike his hanyou father's. He wore a simple blue shirt and blue shorts. Tsugaru was only visible as being part demon by his long claws and habit of scratching his ear with his foot. He jumped onto InuYami's bed and buried himself under her covers.

InuYami sighed. She was a pure dog demon, with long, white hair and piercing golden eyes. She dressed very much like her father, wearing an almost identical red kimono. Like her father, she had white doggy ears. Her fingernails were long and sharp like Tsugaru's. Her name, Kagome said, was Japanese for _Shadow Dog_. She sat down on the bed and stroked the lump that was her brother.

"Stop crying, Tsuga," she murmured gently. "You know they love each other. They just have their rough spots. It happens to all married couples. Don't worry."

Tsugaru poked his head out of the covers. "But Mommy Sat Daddy!" he protested.

InuYami nodded. "Aye. I heard. But then she said she was sorry. Come on. Big Sister's here, Tsuga. You need a hug."

Tsugaru cuddled down into InuYami's arms. InuYami was barely older than he was; she was only nine. Already she had assumed the role of older sister, which can be synonymous with "supreme overlord." InuYami ran her claws through his long hair. "Stop crying...it's okay. It's okay." she murmured the phrase over and over again until Tsugaru's sobs calmed down to muted whimpers, and finally soft snores. She grinned. "I hope I'm not too much like Uncle Sesshoumaru," she muttered as she lay her brother back in his bed. "Dad says he could be hypnotic sometimes...Maybe I have some of his spirit."

InuYami padded down the stairs. She poked her head around the corner. She could see her parents lying side by side on the floor. Her father's long hair was flowing over his red outer robe while her mother stroked it gently. Then her mother's hands moved up and started to rub his ears gently. InuYami twitched her own ears. She knew how good that felt. Slowly, the youkai stepped into the room. "You guys okay?" she asked. "You scared the hell out of Tsugaru."

"Don't swear, InuYami," Kagome said. "And we're fine now."

InuYasha nodded. "Come over here, Yami," he said. "I need to have a talk with you. A sort of father-daughter thing." He glanced over at Kagome briefly.

InuYami nodded and curled up between her parents. InuYasha gently rubbed his daughter's ears. Kagome sat up and headed into the kitchen. "What's up dad?" InuYami asked. InuYasha sighed.

"It's about you and Tsugaru," he began. "There's something between you two, and your mother and I can't seem to fathom what it is. What's going on between you two? Is there something about Tsugaru that you can't stand?"

"He's just such a crybaby!" InuYami exploded. She drew her knees up closer against her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. "I can't do anything without him crying for Mom! Like today...I was trying to listen to the i-music thing Mom got me, and he comes over and starts jabbering in my ear...He knew I was trying to listen to my music! He knew! But he kept talking anyways!"

"InuYami, you need to understand that Tsugaru is still young. He's only six years old." InuYasha lowered his voice, and InuYami knew he was about to say something that he wasn't sure Kagome would approve of. "Shippou was like that when we found him. But he got better with time...somewhat. Just wait. Someday, you and Tsugaru will be best friends."

InuYami scoffed under her breath and flattened her ears. "Someday," she muttered. "But not today. Or tomorrow, likely. He's a stupid half demon."

"_I'm_ a stupid half demon," InuYasha reminded her. InuYami dragged her claws through her long hair, making a face like a hungry infant. Curses...A slip of the tongue...

"Sorry...Dad," she whispered. InuYasha pulled her close.

"It's all right. Just remember, InuYami: there are some things that only a hanyou like Tsugaru or me can do." He looked up. "And one of those things is to love. Love is a mortal emotion, one which Sesshoumaru could not employ." He gazed back down at InuYami. "Just remember that."

"You mean I'll never love?" InuYami cried. Kagome glared at InuYasha over her shoulder. The hanyou rubbed his daughter's back soothingly.

"No...your mother is mortal. You have mortal emotions...You love your parents, don't you?" InuYami nodded. "And you love Shippou, don't you?" Another nod. "And Sango, Miroku, and Kilala?" She nodded again, but looked into her father's eyes.

"Well, Mr. Miroku can be a little weird sometimes," she admitted. "But I know I love Ms. Sango and Kilala."

"See?" InuYasha asked. "You do have mortal emotions. Just not mortal blood. You're a youkai, but you are also a hanyou." He sighed. "It's impossible to explain, really. I'm not even sure how it is. You're obviously a youkai...but at the same time a hanyou." He shrugged, utterly confused. InuYami's golden gaze was unfaltering.

Kagome entered the room, holding a tray out in front of her. "Some drinks for us," she declared. "Tsugaru's asleep?" InuYami nodded. "Then it's just us: you, me, and your father."

InuYami accepted the cup she was handed. She took a sip. Hot milk. Her eyes closed blissfully, and she leaned against her father's shoulder while she drank. Her parents spoke while she was dozing, and with her sharp sense of hearing, InuYami recorded every word for careful thinking-over when she was more alert.

_She's beautiful._ It was her mother speaking.

_I know. And she's ours, Kagome._ Her father's deeper voice sent soft vibrations through her body. It felt like distant thunder: natural and good.

_But I can't help wondering, InuYasha..._

_What, Kagome?_

_You don't think she'll turn out like...him, do you?_

_Sesshoumaru? He's dead, Kagome. Long dead. I can feel his power receding from the earth. He will never rise again. You don't have to worry. InuYami is nothing like him. He was a jerk. I would know. He made most of my life miserable._

_I know. But you don't think that perhaps some of his blood might be in InuYami, do you? I mean, just look at the scenario. A youkai older sibling. A hanyou younger sibling. The two never getting along._

There was a long pause from InuYasha. InuYami felt a slight shudder ripple his body, then his arms enfold her. She felt herself being lifted from the floor. There was silence all the way up the stairs, but her ears told her that both parents were present. InuYami felt herself come to rest in her bed and the covers pulled up around her. It was then that she heard her father speak.

_We'll find out, Kagome,_ he said. _We'll find out._

AN You know you liked it. R&R, 'kay? I need to know if you people want to keep reading this. God knows how many times I uploaded something and no one reviewed...


	2. Chapter 2

InuYami scrubbed her fangs busily with her toothbrush. It was fairly early in the morning, but as usual, she was wide awake. But today was different. Today she had plans to go into the no-man's-land: the attic. Shippou said that her parents kept all their various trinkets from their fighting days. He described all sorts of fabulous items to her, her father's fang-sword, her mother's bow, and more. InuYami had once tried to go into the attic when she was five, but her father had scared her off with tales of a dog demon-eating monster that lived up there.

The youkai crept as quietly as she could to the one part of the hallway. She looked up to see the small hatch door that led up to the attic. But the pull-cord was too high; there was no way she was going to reach it. InuYami smacked her forehead. "What am I, a pup?" she muttered angrily. "I almost touched it when I was half this size!" She crouched low and sprang upwards. The pull-cord was in her hand. She gave a swift tug.

There came a soft groaning from the ceiling, almost as if she had pulled its tongue. InuYami ducked back as the staircase tumbled down in a grumble of dust. She crouched, holding a part of her robe up against her nose so she could breathe. The dust settled, and InuYami pranced up the stairs, giggling to herself.

Where had she gotten the idea in the first place? The young demon thought back to only a few days ago, when her mother had slipped her some warm milk to send her into an easy sleep. They had thought she hadn't been listening, but no. InuYami had heard every word. They had been talking about her mysterious uncle, Sesshoumaru. InuYami knew there had to be something up here of him. Perhaps a claw, or his own fang-sword, or maybe even a lock of his hair. Her father spoke too passionately about Sesshoumaru to have killed him without taking something to remember him by first.

And if that bit of youkai was anywhere, it would be in the one place her parents forbade her to enter. The Attic.

InuYami looked around, robe still over her mouth to keep her from coughing too loudly. It was hot up here. Hotter than she would have though. The young dog demon was tempted to seek out her father's scent; perhaps Sesshoumaru smelled a bit like him. In an act of trust, InuYami took her hand from her mouth and sniffed. Such scents! She padded along on all fours, sniffing here and there. The smells were dusty, but layered in such ways that she could barely keep her nose away from them. Here, a trace of Miroku! There, a whiff of Shippou! And finally, a sniff of something that smelled like her father, but at the same time, more like...more like...more like...

InuYami.

It was as if she and her father's scents were mixed together. Her heart pounded. It had to be the smell of Sesshoumaru. It had to be! He would smell like InuYasha because they were kin, yet like InuYami because they were both youkai. Yes! InuYami followed the trail, her ears doing an occasional twitch to check for her parents' footsteps. The trail led her almost halfway across the loft, until it finally ended at a large chest.

InuYami snorted loudly. Bummer! All this hard work for nothing. Dead end. Game's over. I lost! She became curious. The chest looked like an amusing enough toy. She poked it with a claw. The old, soft wood dented gently under her sharp claw. InuYami nodded. She sniffed the lock. The Sesshoumaru-smell was stronger here, almost as if it was wafting from the keyhole. Her eyes widened excitedly. Yes, whatever her father had kept, it was undeniably here! She became more and more eager to see what it was.

The young youkai tried to pick the lock with a claw. All she got out of that was a painful broken claw. She sucked her finger and kept working. A strange taste entered her mouth. She inspected her finger. Blood. She had never tasted blood before. Out of curiosity, she wondered if that was what would break the lock: the blood of a full demon. Sesshoumaru had been proud of his pure blood, she had heard. It was worth a shot. InuYami squeezed her finger until a dab of red beaded up around her broken claw. She stuck her finger into the keyhole.

At first, nothing happened. Then, in a blaze of light, the lid of the chest sprang wide. InuYami clamped her fangs down on a yelp of fear. She cowered, trembling like a leaf until the light died down. Then she crept over to inspect her new treasure. It was a large metal ring, with spikes running along its outer edge. InuYami tried to lift it. It was heavy at first, but soon became light and easy to carry. She sniffed the cold steel. The scent of her uncle, Sesshoumaru, rose to greet her. She smiled. Whatever this thing was, it had been his.

And whatever it was, it was hers now.

InuYami padded softly out of the attic, her new treasure slung over her left shoulder. She gave the pull-cord another tug, which sent the staircase back up to where it had been. Nodding silently, InuYami slipped into her room, and deposited the spike-band under her bed. So that's what her father had been hiding: his dead brother's fashion accessory. She wanted to tell someone, anyone. Tsugaru? No, he'd tell her father, and InuYami would be in more trouble than she could imagine. Shippou? He was a possibility, but there had to be someone better out there, someone who would congratulate her for her courage and quick mind.

The little dog demon smiled as she thought of the perfect person. Sango. "Naturally," she murmured. "Ms. Sango's so nice, and I bet she'll let me hold Kilala while I tell her." InuYami wondered briefly how she could arrange a meeting with her father's old friend.

It wasn't that hard. Her parents' friends were always visiting, and talking about old memories, and going on and on about how much InuYami and Tsugaru looked like their parents. It would be child's play to find an excuse to talk to Sango. InuYami smiled. In fact, she knew that Sango and Miroku were planning to come down later today. She was always with Sango; the woman seemed to care and understand more than anyone, except for her parents. Yes, she would tell her today. InuYami started to walk out the door, but stopped halfway and checked on the spike-band again. She breathed in the scent of Sesshoumaru deeply, sighing happily.

InuYami padded slowly out the door and into the bathroom. She sniffed her hands and body. Just as she had thought, she smelled of the attic and Sesshoumaru. Kagome wouldn't smell anything unusual, but InuYasha and his sharp nose would find those odors instantaneously. She quickly stripped off her nightclothes and plunged into the spring the bathroom had been built around. "There," she told no one. "Now not even Kilala will smell anything different!" After scrubbing down, InuYami grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She wrapped the towel around her and scurried back to her room to change.

"You seem happy today, InuYami," InuYasha remarked as his daughter skipped down to breakfast. "What's got you wagging your tail?"

"I don't have a tail, Dad," InuYami retorted, sitting down. "I guess it's just because Ms. Sango and Mr. Miroku are coming today. It's been a while since all of us have seen them."

"Since you and Tsuga have seen them," Kagome corrected. She placed the breakfast tray down and sat beside Tsugaru. "Your father and I have seen them many times, usually when you're asleep." She paused. "How's your claw, Yami?"

InuYami held up her finger. The claw she had broken had been trimmed down and was much shorter and less sharper than the other nine. "It doesn't hurt anymore," she said.

"I can't see how you even broke it in the first place," InuYasha murmured. "I mean, a demon's claws are stronger than most metals. We used them to fight long before anyone got the idea to make swords and such."

"I jammed it on my nightstand," InuYami lied. "I think it happened while I was asleep."

Tsugaru snatched up a warm roll and devoured it in demon gulps. Kagome scolded him gently and wiped the butter from his face. InuYami laughed and snuggled closer to her father, who laid a hand on her shoulder. The young youkai reached for a roll and ate it slowly, savoring the warmth. She grinned.

"When are they coming?" she asked excitedly.

"Around noon," Kagome replied, "so you have some time to kill before they get here."

"I wanna go hunting!" Tsugaru cried happily. "Shippou said we could catch squirrels today. He's gonna show me how!" He got up to his feet. InuYasha scoffed softly.

"Twenty years and he's still a little nuisance," he muttered. "He's trying to make my son into a real dog, I bet. Playing fetch, chasing squirrels. I should give that idiot a piece of my mind." He growled under his breath.

InuYami smiled. She felt a strange tug in her gut, almost as if someone was trying to pull her somewhere with an invisible rope. It frightened her. She closed her eyes, hoping it would pass. An image of Sesshoumaru's spike-band formed in her mind's eye. She could still smell his tempting scent: warm like her father's, familiar like her own. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to race up the stairs and see the treasure once more, to sniff and smell its demon aroma. But she resisted. Her father might follow her and see the stolen band.

The hours passed quickly. Soon InuYami was bouncing up and down at the front door. "Go outside and greet them if you're so excited," Kagome said, laughter creeping in her voice. InuYami did not need a second invitation. She raced out the door, quivering excitedly. No one was out here just yet. She leapt up into a nearby tree to wait.

She had just begun to doze off when there came a low roar from the sky. Startled, InuYami fell from her perch and landed with a _thump_ on the ground. She shook her head briskly. Kilala, in her huge demon form, was standing patiently outside the gate while her two passengers climbed off. InuYami ran as fast as she could to the gate. Sango looked up. "Ah! A friendly face. Excuse us, child, but do you know where we can find Mr. InuYasha and Mrs. Kagome?" she asked.

"Ms. Sango!" InuYami cried. "It's me! InuYami!"

"Inu...Oh!" Sango smiled. "You've grown so much, I didn't recognize you."

InuYami swung open the gate and wrapped her arms around Sango. The woman swept her up and hugged her back. Behind them, Kilala gave a soft meow and, in a blaze of fire, changed into her smaller form. The two-tailed cat blinked up at InuYami, purring.

"Kilala remembers you," Sango said. She let InuYami down. The youkai crouched on the ground, wiggling her hand for Kilala to bat.

"Hey, girl..." Kilala mewed and rubbed her head against the girl's hand. InuYami picked her up, cuddling her close.

"InuYami!"

"Hi, Mr. Miroku," InuYami said, looking up to see his face. The monk winked at her and ruffled her ears in a friendly way. He was strange, but he was always nice. InuYami stood up and led the way to the house. "Mom! Dad! Tsugaru! They're here!" she called into the house. There was an almost immediate flurry of activity. Everyone rushed out to see the visitors.

Kilala jumped from InuYami's arms and padded over to see Tsugaru. The hanyou scooped her up, tickling behind her ears with his little claws. InuYami smiled, but she couldn't help a feeling of jealousy. _She_ wanted to hold Kilala.

Kagome all but tackled Sango. InuYasha gave Miroku a playful punch on the shoulder and asked him if he had gotten lucky with Sango yet. Miroku responded that it wasn't good to speak of such things around children like Tsugaru and InuYami. He also threatened to beat the hanyou over the head with his staff if he wasn't careful. Sango looked over and said that InuYasha wasn't the only one getting beat up if he didn't watch himself. Miroku looked away, his face turning a faint pink. InuYami wondered what she meant. Surely Miroku wasn't a bad person?

Tsugaru, as usual, started his plea for attention. InuYami flinched, flattening her ears angrily. He was such a wimp. Couldn't go five seconds without being the center of attention? With a shrug, she headed up to her room again. Once inside, she picked up the spike-band and rubbed it against her face, reveling in the feeling of the cool, demon-scented metal. When the clamor had died down slightly, she reappeared in the kitchen.

Kagome gave her daughter a tray to take into the living room. InuYami took the platter and balanced it on her head as she walked. She made it into the room without spilling anything. She set it down and curled up beside her father, listening to the stories the visitors had come with.

InuYami felt a strange sensation well up inside her belly at the sight of Tsugaru holding Kilala. Suddenly she felt strange power run through her body...like nothing she'd ever felt before. She closed her eyes, hoping it would pass. The tug in her belly came back, and she excused herself to her room, where she took out the spike-band and cradled it in her arms.

Once InuYami had left, though, the band began to glow eerily. A forgotten voice of the past spoke. _Finally...I see my heir..._


	3. Chapter 3

1"InuYami...I think you should get rid of it," Sango said.

InuYami had finally gotten her chance to speak with the woman alone. She had pulled the spike-band from under her bed, and had proudly showed her father's friend the treasure. The reaction was not what she had expected. Sango had flinched away from the band, her eyes mistrustful. "But Ms. Sango," InuYami began weakly, "I can't. I love it...It's like a pretty colored stone, or one of Shippou's tops...It's a treasure. My treasure..."

"InuYami, that thing has evil powers," Sango persisted. "It belonged to one of the most evil youkai this land has ever known...Sesshoumaru. It can't be good. Who knows what might happen! It should probably be destroyed."

InuYami gazed sadly down at the spike-band. "I know...but I don't think I can destroy it on my own, and I don't want to tell Dad how I got it..."

"Bury it," Sango said simply. "The earth will absorb its evil magic and neutralize it. Trust me...It's for your own good."

InuYami sighed. "I'll do it tonight," she murmured miserably. Sango patted her back.

"I know it's hard to get rid of something you like. But you must understand. When Sesshoumaru was in power, he spared no life. Men, women, children, he killed them all without remorse. Do you really want something like that to happen again?"

"No!" cried InuYami, shaking her head vigorously. She looked back down at the spike-band. It seemed so harmless, a shiny metal object covered in the scent of her uncle. It was beautiful, so polished and bright...It felt like a part of her now. She couldn't imagine being without her treasure. But Sango said it could be dangerous. She had to get rid of it tonight. She stashed it under her bed. "It'll be gone tomorrow," she promised. Sango smiled.

"Come on. Let's wash the scent off of you and get back down there." InuYami had to smile at the woman's businesslike tone.

"Why don't you have any kids, Ms. Sango?" InuYami asked as she scrubbed her hands. Sango sighed.

"I don't know. I just never found the right man for me, I suppose."

"Mr. Miroku is very nice."

"Mr. Miroku and I didn't get along very well back when we traveled together. We're friends now, but not really anything else." She handed the youkai a towel. "But being with you and Tsugaru is enough for me. If I wanted, I could pretend you were my children."

InuYami smiled, wondering what life would be like if Sango had been her mother. Would Tsugaru still be her brother? Who would her father have been? She nodded and followed Sango downstairs.

"What was that about?" Tsugaru asked. He was sitting in Miroku's lap. InuYasha was watching the pair very intently, particularly the location of the monk's hands.

"Girl stuff," Sango replied before InuYami could say anything. "You wouldn't understand."

"They have a point there. Come on, Tsugaru." Miroku lifted the boy off of his lap. "Up you go."

"You have a nice lap," Tsugaru said as Miroku placed him on the floor. He scampered over to InuYasha before InuYami could lift her foot. He curled up in their father's lap and stuck out his little pink tongue. InuYami growled low at him, flashing her fangs. Tsugaru tried to vacate, but InuYasha held him back, murmuring, "She can't hurt you while I'm here."

"InuYami, I heard that!" Kagome snapped from the kitchen. "Apologize to your brother."

InuYami folded her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry you're such a baby, Tsugaru," she muttered. Kagome stormed into the room. Her youkai daughter yipped fearfully and tried to run, but Sango held her back.

"Be gentle," she whispered to Kagome. "She's having a rough day. She just found out she has to give something up that she doesn't want to go without."

Kagome nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yami, come over here. I'm not going to spank you."

InuYami crept over to her mother, ears low. She had messed with the bull and now she was about to get the horns. "You know what you did wrong, InuYami," Kagome continued. "I know you do. Tsugaru is your brother. He's younger than you are. You shouldn't scare him just because he's being a child."

"He should know that only I can sit in Dad's lap," InuYami muttered angrily.

"You're both my children, and both of you can sit in my lap. I have room for both of you," InuYasha said calmly. "You can sit with me while Tsugaru is still there, Yami."

"It's not the same!" InuYami cried, tears running down her cheeks. She started to cry. Nothing was going right today. First she had been told to get rid of her precious spike-band, and now she was being forced to give up one of the only things that gave her comfort: sitting alone in her father's lap.

"Whoa! Hey, someone have need for an entertainer?"

"Shippou, leave!" the adults shouted in unison. Shippou, however, had no intention of leaving.

"Why're ya crying, Yami?" he asked sweetly, stroking the young demon's arm gently. "Did the big bad doggy dad say something mean?"

"The big bad doggy dad is going to gut you with the Tetsusaiga if you're not careful," InuYasha snarled. Shippou shrugged the threat off. He persisted, coming around to crouch in front of the crying InuYami.

"Look at the silly face, Yami!" he said, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. " 'Ook a' da siwwy fwace!"

The girl ignored him completely. Shippou grunted and called, "Stand back! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna _do it!_"

"Shippou, no!" Sango cried. But she jumped back as Shippou produced an old top of his. InuYasha grabbed Tsugaru and ran. Miroku tried to run, but wasn't fast enough. Shippou threw the top down and jumped back. The top sprang into a giant size and started to spin at an unbelievable speed. Miroku was caught on it as it spun.

"Ship—pou! Get—me do—wn fro—m he—re!" the monk yelled as he spun, his words broken by the top's spinning. Shippou flushed.

"Sorry, Miroku!" he cried, and jumped for the very top part of the toy. With a tap on its spinner, the top shrank back to its normal size. Miroku dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. InuYami had stopped crying to watch, but she wasn't smiling.

"Shippou, you furry idiot!" InuYasha snapped. "You could have hurt InuYami!"

"She was too far away from the top. And besides, I got you on it once," Shippou defended. "You didn't get hurt, did you? No! You went on to kill Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and have two kids!"

InuYasha growled like his daughter had done. Shippou laughed nervously and dropped back a pace. The dog demon howled and started to chase Shippou. The fox demon screeched and leapt through the window. "At least she's not crying anymore!" he called over his shoulder. "You can thank me for that laaaaaaaaater!" And then he was gone.

Kagome was the first person to actually move. She started straightening up the pictures that the top's spin had knocked down. InuYasha moved next, scooping InuYami up in his arms along with Tsugaru. Sango stepped over to help Miroku up. "Stupid fox," the monk growled. "I ought to turn him into a fur coat."

"He was only trying to help," Tsugaru whispered. Only InuYasha and InuYami heard him. InuYasha nodded.

"He was, but he could have done it a little differently."

"Why don't you like Shippou, Daddy?" Tsugaru asked.

"Oh, I like him," InuYasha assured his son. "But there are still some old arguments between us that we never worked out all the way." He put his two children back down on the floor. InuYami reached over and picked something off the floor. She held it up.

"Shippou's top!" she breathed.

"You can keep it unless he wants it back," Kagome said. "We all tell him he's too old to be playing with toys." She smiled.

Sango knelt down beside InuYami. "That can be your new treasure," she whispered. "It's not evil, and it's a lot more fun, too. Every girl needs something to play with, be it a doll, a cat, or a top." She stroked Kilala.

InuYami grinned, closing her eyes happily. She put the top in a pocket of her robe and patted it gently. Sango was right, it was her new treasure. Something to fill the void left by the spike-band. She liked it when she could keep things that belonged to others. For her, it was a way of keeping them close to her. Now she had a part of Shippou to carry always. It was a good thing; she liked the fox demon and thought he was fun to be around. He was a youkai like her.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully. Shippou made no more sudden appearances. InuYami wished that the night would never come. Then she would never have to get rid of the spike-band, and she could have two treasures. But sadly, all too soon, the sun set. A few hours later, InuYami and Tsugaru were sent up to bed. Before she left, InuYami gave Sango a brief nod. Sango nodded back. The little youkai hurried off to her room.

InuYami sat up in bed, gazing out the window. Between her knees, she held her treasure, stroking the surface occasionally with her hand. It wasn't fair. She knew it was for the best, but she was too attached to the spike-band to really let it go. She envisioned herself digging it up every so often to see if its evil was gone and she could keep it again. Perhaps that would work. She waited patiently for the house to grow silent. Then, once she was sure all the adults and Tsugaru were sleeping, she would leave.

Minutes ticked past, becoming half-hours, then hours. Still InuYami waited. Finally, after two hours of waiting, everything was quiet. She crept carefully from her room, the spike-band over her left shoulder, where its weight felt most comfortable. Now that she could take a good look at it, she saw that it had a band that came across her chest, almost as if it had held something there. The moonlight glinted off of it. InuYami looked up. It was a full moon tonight. The world around her was silver and shadows.

The small demon padded swiftly through the night to the place she had chosen to bury the treasure: a large meadow. She was panting slightly from the weight of the spike-band, which seemed to have doubled during her trek through the night. Once she reached the middled of the field, InuYami lay the band on a stump and started to dig. _Ktch...Ktch...Ktch..._Her claws scraped rhythmically away at the soil. When the hole was deep enough, she reached for the spike-band.

Her claws stopped halfway to the band. It was glowing oddly in the moon's light, almost as if it were alive. InuYami propped it up against the stump and gazed curiously at it. The space in the middle of the ring filled with silvery light. The youkai jumped back as a face appeared. It was a pale face, with golden eyes and silvery-white hair like her father's. But what intrigued her the most was the markings. Two red strips ran from the side of the head, and a blue crescent moon was on its forehead.

_Ah...I see you fully, child,_ the head said.

"Who are you?" InuYami whispered.

_I am Sesshoumaru...or, his spirit, at least. And you are InuYami, the last of the great dog demon's legacy...the last pure youkai of his line...And the only heir to his blood._

InuYami leaned closer, almost hypnotized by the soft voice and gentle face. "Tell me more, Sesshoumaru," she breathed.

And so, in his softest, sweetest voice, Sesshoumaru worked his magic on InuYami's mind, turning her into exactly what he wanted her to become...His pawn.


	4. Chapter 4

Kagome sighed as InuYami raced out the door, a bright smile on her face. Something had happened to her demon daughter over the past few weeks. Something suspicious. It was unlike InuYami to rush through meals and sleep all day like she did now. The whole thing had started weeks ago when Sango and Miroku had paid the family a visit. InuYami had changed everything about herself. Once the girl was gone, Kagome confronted InuYasha.

"I'm worried about InuYami," she said bluntly.

"She's fine," InuYasha nonchalantly replied. "Full youkai can be strange sometimes. Just look at Shippou!"

"Shippou's always been that way!" Kagome shot back. "This is a huge change for InuYami. Last night was the new moon. She cried all night. Cried, InuYasha. I asked her why, and she said she wasn't going to be able to see _him_ that night. And she refused to tell me who _he_ was."

"Sounds like she's got a boyfriend," InuYasha muttered around his noodles. "A hanyou boyfriend. You know how we get during the new moon. I'd be surprised if he wanted her to see him like that."

"InuYasha, she's nine years old."

"That's old enough for a boyfriend. Shippou had a few flings when he was her age."

Kagome stomped her foot angrily, causing Tsugaru to flee the scene and InuYasha to ignore his dinner. InuYasha looked up from his Ramen Noodles to see her angry face. He dropped his chopsticks nervously. "Something...is...wrong...with...our...daughter..." Kagome gritted. "And...your...only...interest...is...your...meal?"

"Eh-heh-heh," he laughed nervously.

"Go...out...and...find...what's...wrong. She's...your...daughter..."

"Right." InuYasha bounded out the door and away from Kagome. Once outside, he put his nose to the ground and began to sniff. "I know where you are, InuYami," he muttered. "Your scent is everywhere...This shouldn't take long at all."

;-:-;-:-;

InuYami heard the voice of Sesshoumaru whisper in her ear _Through water, child! Someone is trailing you._

_All right,_ she replied, splashing through the nearest puddle. Shaking her feet dry, the youkai continued along her way, taking a different path to throw off her mysterious tracker.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha swore and splashed his hand in the puddle. Wherever she was going, InuYami didn't want him to follow. The hanyou couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He sat down to wait. InuYami would pass back here again on her trip home. He could talk to her then.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYami was panting slightly as she entered the meadow. She could see the faint shape of Sesshoumaru sitting on the stump, waiting for her. She padded over to him and jumped into his lap. Sesshoumaru stoked her hair. _What news do you bring?_ he asked.

"Tsugaru's still a big baby," the youkai growled angrily. "Yesterday, when I was crying because I couldn't see you, he comes into my room and starts laughing at me."

_Oh, my._

"He keeps saying 'Yami's got a boyfriend! Yami's got a boyfriend!' over and over! I hit him to make him shut up."

_What happened then?_

"Mom came in a started yelling at me. She said he was just trying to annoy me and I had rewarded him." InuYami looked up at her uncle. "I told her he was just a stupid half-breed. Then she gets really mad at me and says that Dad is a half-demon, the same as Tsugaru, and if I was insulting Tsugaru's hanyou heritage, I was insulting Dad's as well."

_But you know just as well as I do that youkai are better than hanyou,_ Sesshoumaru said. _We are stronger, faster, smarter...Are there no other youkai that you can play with?_

"There's Shippou," InuYami replied. "And he's a lot of fun."

_Then perhaps you should start playing with Shippou more often,_ he suggested. _After all, we youkai should stick together._

"I know! I'll bring him here to meet you!" InuYami exclaimed. Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Oh? No? Okay, then. Maybe I won't bring Shippou."

_Shippou and I did not get along very well. I do not think the three of us could be friends, InuYami. But you can be friends with Shippou and friends with me. Just not as a group of three._

InuYami nodded. "I see." She gazed up at the sky. "Uncle Sesshoumaru? Why can I only see you when the moon is out? And why are you harder to see when the moon is small or covered with clouds?"

_Because as a dog demon, I am linked closely with the moon._ He pointed to the blue mark on his forehead._ As you can see, I have the moon on my body. The moon gives me strength to project my image into the mortal world. When the moon vanishes, it takes my strength with it. When it is small, I have very little power, and it becomes difficult._

"I wish you didn't have to strain yourself, Uncle Sesshoumaru. Is there anything I can do?"

_Keep visiting me, Yami. You are making me stronger just by your presence. Perhaps when I am stronger, there is something we could do. And you can help me do it. Then I could walk the mortal world again and we could play together._ He smiled gently. InuYami sighed.

"How much longer do you think it would take until you are strong enough?" she asked.

_I cannot say, child. Perhaps weeks, or months, or even years. I am not sure yet. But I know that someday it will happen. And someday, you and I can meet in person._

"I can't wait for that day to come," InuYami murmured.

_Neither can I, child. Neither can I._ Sesshoumaru gazed off into the forest that lay outside the field. He smiled maliciously. _And when that day comes,_ he added to himself, _no one will be able to defeat me. Not that human wench. Not that frivolous fox. Not that demon cat or its riders. And especially not that half-breed...Unless they want to see their precious Yami dragged into hell alongside me..._

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha looked up at the sky. "She should be back by now," he grumbled to himself. "My Ramen is getting cold, but Kagome's right. InuYami is my daughter, my own flesh and demon blood. I can't leave without knowing what's going on."

His golden gaze turned back to the ground. Absentmindedly, he started to sketch with a claw in the soil. When he was finished, it came out as a rather clumsy doodle of himself fighting Sesshoumaru's true form, the giant dog. He stuck a claw in his mouth thoughtfully. "Still needs something...Hah! The Shikon Jewel!" Hurriedly, he drew in the mysterious Jewel of Four Souls between the two figures. "Even though it wasn't there in the final battle, who cares? It's my drawing! I can do whatever I want to it." After that thought, he grinned mischievously and doodled buckteeth on Sesshoumaru. "Whatever I want."

;-:-;-:-;

"I want to stay here forever with you, Uncle Sesshoumaru," InuYami said with a soft sigh. "I really like you. You listen to me. You respect me. And best of all, you're a youkai too! You know how it feels to have a hanyou in the family."

_I understand the shame you feel. I was so ashamed when my great father—your grandfather—took on a human wife. But you are different. You have a sympathetic ear for you. I had no one but that miserable servant of mine, Jaken._ Sesshoumaru shook his head. _But he had his uses, I'll admit. I was almost sad when your mother killed him._

"Mom killed one of your friends?" InuYami was shocked.

_Now, now, do not blame your mother. She was only doing what she thought was right. Even though it meant killing one of my "friends."_ He decided to use her word for Jaken, even though the creature had only been a henchman of sorts. It would stir up feelings of rebellion in her heart, and make her cast away the family she knew in leu of her kind and caring uncle.

"I can't believe it...I thought it was bad enough that Dad had to go and kill you...but now I find out that my _mom_ is a killer too?" She started to cry. Sesshoumaru patted her shoulder soothingly. "Why? Why, Uncle Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru knew better than to try and lie about his works of evil. She knew him too well now. There was seemingly no way out. But Sesshoumaru was no ordinary demon. He was smart. _There were misunderstandings, InuYami, great misunderstandings. Your parents and their friends were convinced that I was evil. And for that, I was slain._

InuYami sniffled. She cuddled closer into Sesshoumaru's lap, seeking comfort from the spirit. The demon stroked her hair gently, whispering like leaves in the wind a spell to bind them closer. He felt a tie begin to form and grinned. The child was his now. She was all his.

_You should be getting home, Yami,_ Sesshoumaru said after a few minutes. _Your parents will be worrying about you._

"You mean the murderers?" InuYami's voice was hard.

_They are your family! You must return to them now. They care about you. And remember, as always, our meeting is a secret._

"A secret." InuYami nodded and raced off through the grass. Sesshoumaru watched her for a few minutes more, then dissipated.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha looked up. "There you are, InuYami," he said. "I was worried about you. Where have you been?"

"Oh...just...meeting a friend."

"What's his name?" InuYasha asked coyly. InuYami stared at her bare feet.

"I'm not telling you."

InuYasha recoiled slightly. Had that been anger in her voice? Her posture didn't suggest anger. On the contrary, she looked downright ashamed. He bent down and twisted his head so he was looking her eye to eye. "Yami? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Stop worrying about me!"

InuYasha bit his lip in frustration. Kagome had been right. There was something wrong with InuYami. He turned around. "Hop on my back, Yami," he told her. "We'll get home faster that way."

InuYami looked like she wanted to argue, but finally she gave in and jumped on his back, clutching his shoulders to stay on. InuYasha leapt into the air and started to drift back to the house. After a few minutes, the hanyou called, "You're pretty quiet back there, InuYami." He glanced back to see the youkai sound asleep, her eyes closed gently. He smiled. Seeing the child demon filled him with warmth and pride beyond measure. There was just something magical about having a daughter on your back.

When he touched down outside the house, InuYami was still asleep. He took her down gently and carried her to bed. "I don't know who you keep going out at night to see, InuYami," he whispered as he left the room, "but whoever it is, I hope they make you happy."


	5. Chapter 5

"Again, Yami!" InuYasha called. "Try it again! I know you can do it!"

InuYami nodded and focused her energy. She felt it gather at her fingers, and worked it down to her nails. They began to glow bright blue. "Blue Steel Claws!" she cried, swinging them in the air. The sickle-shaped snips of energy flew through the air at her father, but halfway there, they suddenly died and vanished. InuYami started to cry.

"It's all right, it's okay," InuYasha soothed. "You're doing much better. You actually got to throw them this time. You're making great progress, Yami."

InuYami wiped her eyes. "Yeah, but I still can't get them all the way over to you!"

"You just need to practice. Over time, you'll get the hang of it."

"I think it's time you two had a break," said Kagome, stepping outside with a tray in her hands. "You've been working all morning. Come on, InuYami. Don't cry. Here, I made your favorite."

InuYami sniffed. She brightened up. "Rice balls!" she shouted, and snatched one up. She stuffed the treat into her mouth whole.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Kagome. You know how to work with children," InuYasha marveled. "But that's why I married you, isn't it?"

"You better be careful," Kagome warned. "One false word and you'll find yourself in obedience school, Dogboy." She pointed to the ring of beads around his neck. InuYasha pretended to shrink back.

"You wouldn't!"

"Si—"

"Ack!" InuYasha clamped his hands over his ears.

"—p some of this lemonade," Kagome finished. "It'll make you feel better." She handed father and daughter a glass each. InuYasha blinked. His ears twitched slightly.

"I thought you were gonna say 'Sit.' "

"Why on earth would I say...that word?"

InuYasha took a gulp of lemonade. He licked his lips, smiling. "You caught yourself that time. Used to be that you would say 'Why on earth would I say 'Sit'?' and I'd crash down."

InuYami watched them go back and forth. They were really just kids, she thought. Just kids in grown-up bodies. She leaned back, half-listening to the playful arguments. Anything to take this break from training.

Her father had been training her to use her demon powers for years now. He had started when InuYami had gone up and asked him herself. Kagome had been reluctant at first, but now she accepted the whole thing as father-daughter bonding. InuYami had spent most of her first lessons listening to her father describe how to use a basic slash attack. Then she had watched him demonstrate with a very nervous Shippou. It didn't matter that every attack missed on purpose, the fox demon still tried to run.

And after almost three years of hard work, InuYami was close to breaking through. She could power up her claws and throw the energy. The only problem was that the bursts of energy seldom traveled more than a few feet before fading into nonexistence. It was discouraging, but InuYasha refused to let her quit. "Attacks like this are part of being a demon," he said. "You can't give up being a demon, so you can't give up learning your attacks."

"Well, Yami," InuYasha began, shaking her out of her thoughts, "want to try it again?"

InuYami nodded enthusiastically and got into a ready position. InuYasha took up a similar stance, the sheath of Tetsusaiga held in front of him. "You watch, Kagome!" he called. "She's going to do it this time. I can feel it."

InuYami closed her eyes, fighting to gather her energy. She felt a mental hand touch her own. _Let me help,_ the voice of Sesshoumaru said in her mind. InuYami nodded. Almost instantly she felt the tingle of energy gather in her claw-tips, this time stronger than ever. Determined not to get too excited, she opened one eye and loosed the energy before it was lost. "Blue Steel Claws!" Flashes of bright light sped from her claws, and InuYasha was forced to put the sheath to use to stay in one piece. He raced over and swept her up.

"You did it!" he shouted. "I'm so proud, Yami! You did it! Did you see that, Kagome? She's a real demon now!"

InuYami squeezed him back. _Thanks, Uncle Sesshoumaru,_ she thought.

_My pleasure, child. Anything to help my favorite niece._ Then his presence vanished from her mind. InuYami felt alone for a few minutes, almost as if a part of her soul had left. But the feeling soon passed, and she once again felt the warmth of her father's embrace. Even if he was a half-blooded murderer, he knew how to make her feel good.

"That was really great, InuYami!" Kagome congratulated as she scratched the youkai behind the ears. "Someday your father will have to watch out for you when you train together."

"I have to watch out _now_," InuYasha said. There was laughter at the edge of his voice. InuYami became suspicious, part of Sesshoumaru's secret plan for her. She began to wonder if her father was laughing at her expense. Perhaps he was kidding her, and saying that she would never be a match for him. It took all of InuYami's self control not to sink her claws into his throat then and there. The fondness had left the embrace for her; she felt cold, and shivered. "Yami...are you okay? I think we're done for today."

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"I think InuYami used too much of her energy training today," InuYasha murmured, placing the youkai child in Kagome's arms. "She looks a little pale."

"Come on, Yami. We'll get you a nice warm bath and a good nap." Kagome started up the stairs. InuYami shut her eyes and whimpered quietly, wishing all the negative emotions she felt would just go away. They were making her life hard to bear.

Kagome opened the bathroom door slowly. She set InuYami down and started to help her undress. "Is everything all right?" she asked softly. InuYami sighed.

"It's all this going out at night," she admitted. "I mean, he makes me feel good inside, and he's really nice, but sometimes when I get back home, I feel really bad."

"Who?" Kagome lifted the child's white undershirt up over her head.

"I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"InuYami, if someone is making you feel bad, you shouldn't keep seeing them," her mother said. InuYami sighed and started to undo her belt. "People shouldn't be making you hurt, no matter how good they make you feel sometimes. Maybe you should tell me who it is."

"I can't!" the young demon snapped. She tugged her pants off and slipped into the bathtub. "I can't, Mom," she repeated with more calm in her voice.

Kagome started to scrub her daughter's silky white hair. "You have hair just like your father," she whispered. "The two of you look so alike, sometimes I wonder if I'm taking care of him as a puppy demon." She scratched behind InuYami's ears.

InuYami amused herself with a small rubber toy that looked like a duck. She splashed the toy up and down in the water. "Did you know Dad when he was a pup?" she asked. Kagome shook her head.

"No, I met him when we were both still teenagers. Of course, he was mentally much older than I was, but we were about the same age bodily." She poured a cup of water over the frothy mess of shampoo. InuYami shut her eyes tightly. After the water stopped trickling down her face, she rubbed at her eyes and blinked them open. She released the duck and watched it drift across the surface of the water.

"Mom...who was there when I was born?"

"Everyone," her mother replied, combing out her daughter's hair. "Ms. Sango, Mr. Miroku, Shippou..."

"Was Kilala there too?"

"Yes. I believe she was."

InuYami winced as her mother started to work on a knot in her long hair. Kagome picked up a bottle of conditioner and slathered a small blob all over the silvery tresses. After a while, the soft scratching sounds of the comb resumed. InuYami kept still as she asked, "What about when Tsugaru was born? Was I there?"

"You were there, along with everyone else. But I don't think you remember it."

InuYami closed her eyes, thinking hard through her oldest memories. Most were just scraps and flecks, brief flickers of remembrance. But one stood out clearly in her mind. She was in a dimly lit room, sitting on her father's neck. She could still feel his satiny hair bunched up in her nervous fists. 'Why is Mommy crying? Is someone hurting her? Daddy, do something!' 'No one's hurting her, InuYami.' That voice...like the calm in a hurricane. 'Why is she crying, then?' 'Because she's bringing a new baby into the world. He's going to be your little brother, Yami. Isn't that exciting?' 'Is she crying because she doesn't want me to have a brother?' 'No. She's crying because...because...'

It was there that her memory tailed off. She didn't know if he had actually answered the question or not. InuYami opened her eyes. Kagome smiled down at her. "What's up?"

"I think I do remember it," the young demon muttered. "But maybe not. Did Dad ever tell me why you were crying?"

Kagome looked confused. Then she grinned even broader. "No. He got too flustered to even think of a way to put it for you to understand. You were only three years old at the time. He couldn't just say it was because I was in pain. You would have started screaming."

InuYami laughed. She ducked under the water to rinse out her hair, then stood up. Kagome lathered soap between her palms and started to dab bits of the foam on places such as arms, legs, and chest. InuYami took her cue and rubbed the soap suds all over her body. She sat down and rinsed off. The youkai stuck a foot in the air. Kagome started to tickle her. InuYami laughed, squealing happily. While her daughter was still laughing, the woman scrubbed the dust and dirt from the foot. InuYami walked around barefoot all the time like her father, and as a result, her feet were rarely as clean as her brother's. Tsugaru wore shoes all the time, except in the house.

"All right, Yami. I think you're clean. Just look at the water!" InuYami looked down. Sure enough, she could see that the water was not as clear as it had been before she got in. It was slightly murky now.

"Man...I needed that bath," InuYami murmured. She stood up. Kagome lifted her out of the tub and handed her a towel. InuYami wrapped it around herself. Together, she and her mother left the bathroom and went back into InuYami's room.

The youkai dried herself off. She selected her clean clothes and dressed herself. Her mother was there to help her with the small things, like tying her obi and pulling her pants tightly around her ankles. Then InuYami dried her hair with the towel. "I feel like a new demon!" she declared happily. Kagome giggled and started to rub her ears.

"InuYami, I know that going out at night to see your friend brings you happiness, and I'm glad, but perhaps you should spend a few days at home with us," Kagome said. "We hardly see you anymore. Tsugaru wants to know where his sister is. You sleep all day and are gone all night. Tell your mysterious friend that you need to spend time with your family."

InuYami stopped herself before she could say, "But he is family!" It would give Uncle Sesshoumaru away. He would be angry with her for not keeping his secret. She nodded. "I'll tell him the next time I see him. I'm sure he'll understand."

"All right. You hop into bed now. I bet you're tired after training today. You don't have to sleep for the night, just take a little nap is all. You need to get more sleep." InuYami nodded and curled up under the covers. Kagome turned the lights out. InuYami fell into a restful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Sesshoumaru was not pleased. His grip on the child was weakening. There was a force out there that he had yet to have reckoned with: a mother's love. InuYami had said that she wouldn't be able to see him for a few days. It had been five days since he had seen her last. The youkai spirit was beginning to get angry. Who or what was keeping her away from him? He could feel her emotions through his tie to her, and all of his mind-poison was wearing off fast. She was becoming more light-hearted and calm. She no longer hated her parents. He had to do something before his pawn was lost to him completely. If he lost InuYami, he lost all hope of getting revenge on his brother.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYami was happier than she had been in a long time. Nearly a week had passed since her talk with her mother. True to her word, she had not gone out to see Sesshoumaru. The atrocities he had made her believe were starting to leave her; her mother and father were no longer murderers, and Tsugaru was a playmate rather than a stupid half-breed. She became more comfortable around them, and in turn, they trusted her more. They had left that night with Shippou as a babysitter.

The youkai child chose that night to pay Sesshoumaru a quick visit before Shippou arrived. She spotted him in the field, waiting for her. "Sorry I haven't been seeing you lately, Uncle Sesshoumaru," she apologized. "I've just been really busy. But I'm glad I can see you again."

_And I, you, child. What has been going on?_

"Mom and Dad left me and Tsugaru with Shippou tonight. We're gonna have a lot of fun!"

_Shippou did seem to be a fun-lover. I shan't hold you away from him._ InuYami gave him a quick squeeze and started to leave. Sesshoumaru called her back. _Before you go, just remember what I've told you. A youkai is better than a hanyou. Try to keep away from Tsugaru tonight. I wouldn't want you to have to mingle with half-breeds._

InuYami nodded uncertainly. She felt all of her uncle's hatred for half-demons rise up within her, and felt the old shame that her brother was one of them. She sighed and nodded. Sesshoumaru smiled as she left, knowing that he had once again triumphed.

;-:-;-:-;

"Hey, Yami!" Shippou called. "Come on! You're not having any fun just sitting all by yourself."

InuYami shrugged. "I just...don't think I should...be playing with..._him_, that's all," she said tersely. She pointed a claw to Tsugaru.

"He's your brother," the fox demon said. "I wish I had been lucky enough to have a sibling. But sadly, I wasn't, and it's not a gift you should take lightly."

InuYami stood up and walked towards Shippou. Ignoring Tsugaru's protests as she nudged him away with a foot, she said, "Listen, Shippou. You and I have something special. We're both youkai."

"Yeah..."

"And as youkai, we have pure demon blood, untouched by human blood."

"Yeah..." Shippou was clearly getting nervous.

"Why don't the two of us just play together? Without the half-breed?"

Shippou took a step away from the child. His eyes were wide. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but...C-come out of her, Sesshoumaru!" He pointed a finger at her. "Stop trying to take over InuYami! It's not going to work! I know it's you; only you would say half-breed!"

InuYami laughed. "He's dead, Shippou," she said. "He can't take over me. I'm just saying that we shouldn't be playing with hanyou."

Tsugaru had started to edge away. InuYami spotted him and took out her treasure. She lobbed the top at her brother. It sprang to giant size and started to spin him into the ground. Above the boy's cries for help, Shippou could be heard shouting at InuYami. The fox demon jumped up and batted the top to its normal size. He held Tsugaru in his arms, trying to soothe the frightened hanyou.

"Yami! Why did you do that? You could have hurt your brother!" Shippou scolded.

"But you always tel me that fox magic is just illusion!" InuYami protested.

"I know. And it is. But that doesn't change the fact that you used it against your brother! Your own family!" Shippou took a deep breath to try and steady himself. "InuYami...go to your room."

InuYami whimpered softly. Go to her room? She was never sent to her room. She was InuYami, the youkai, the model big sister. Shippou couldn't be serious. Tsugaru's wails drove her to the point of madness. "Blue Steel Claws!" she howled, slashing out. The blue disks of energy spun out, barely missing Shippou and Tsugaru. The fox demon put Tsugaru down gently.

"InuYami..."

"NO!" InuYami shouted, and bolted. She ran to the field, to Sesshoumaru, to her only comfort in the world. The youkai was waiting for her.

_What seems to be the problem?_ he asked, for InuYami was in tears when she reached him.

"Uncle Sesshoumaru...Shippou hates me now." The girl did not go to her usual place, his lap, but stood in front of him, head down. "I tried to tell him that Tsugaru was just a half-breed and that we youkai should be playing by ourselves, but he went off on how Tsugaru is my brother and everything."

_While he is your brother, perhaps Shippou was wrong. You know what is right, InuYami. And what is right is for the youkai to be together, and the hanyou to live alone. They are not worthy of our presence._

"No...they're not," InuYami whispered. She still stared at her feet, remembering her mother tickling them. The world had seemed so pure, so good...where had it all gone? Now life was dark and terrible. There were hanyou everywhere, they were all around her. She couldn't play with the hanyou. She couldn't speak with the hanyou. Only youkai...only youkai.

_You seem distraught, child. Come, sit up here with me. Something is troubling you._

InuYami crawled up into Sesshoumaru's lap. He laid his hand on her head, right between her ears. She closed her eyes, worn out from using her attack to try and hurt Shippou. "It's just...Shippou was the only youkai I knew. And now he's my enemy...I can't be with anyone."

_I am a youkai. You can still be with me, can't you?_

"Well, I meant youkai in the world. Living, breathing youkai. No offense, Uncle Sesshoumaru, but you're a spirit. And besides, we've never played before."

_I can only project my image in so many ways, InuYami._

InuYami looked up suddenly. "Hey! I got it! You said that someday you'd be strong enough to come back form the spirit world, didn't you? And that I could help you? Why don't we do it now?"

_You may have a point, child. I had forgotten that._ He really hadn't. The clever youkai had been waiting for her to remember it so she would still trust him. _Yes...we shall do it now. However, I forgot to mention that I needed something from you, not just your help. You have life stored in your body. If you were to give me some of that life—just a small bit—I could rise back to life. Will you do it?_

Without thinking, InuYami nodded. Sesshoumaru stood up, and InuYami followed his lead. _Place your hands palm-up,_ the older demon ordered. The younger obeyed. He laid his hands on top of her own, palms-down._ Now focus your life energy. Think about bringing it to your hands. Think about giving it to me..._

The child closed her eyes and focused hard. She could feel herself brush at it gently, but before she could grab it, it ducked out of range. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. It was the same result. Again and again, she tried and failed. Sesshoumaru began to get impatient. He was so close, and this runt was holding him back. Ever the quick thinker and smooth talker, he tried again.

_Do not strain yourself, Yami. I can do it. I will reach in and take that small bit of life energy that I need. I promise, I will not leave you drained._

InuYami nodded, placing all of her trust in him. Sesshoumaru reached out with his mind, seeking the trace of her life. He found it and snatched, capturing the end of it. He began to drain her, to pull all of the life from her small body. InuYami began to feel the effects almost immediately.

"Unc...Uncle Sess...Sesshou...shoumaru?" she gasped. "I...I think we...we should...should stop now...I'm feeling...really...t...tired and weak..."

_Do not worry, child. I am almost finished._ His body was rapidly becoming more and more defined. He was losing the translucence he once had.

"Do you ha...have enough...yet...?" the girl panted.

_Almost...Yes...YES!..._"YES!"

Sesshoumaru wrapped his long fingers tightly around InuYami's wrists. He lowered his face to look her eye to eye. In her daze, the youkai child realized with a thrill of terror that she had done the ultimate: brought her father's brother and sworn enemy back from the dead. Now it all became clear. She had been used. Used! She only had to take one sniff of his scent to know he was no good. His spirit form had had no scent, and his spike-band did not carry the darker overtones of evil-scent...she hadn't known.

The reborn youkai gazed evenly back at his drained pawn. "You fool...You poor little fool," he growled. "I almost feel sorry for you. You fell into my trap and ate all the bait. Now you're left starving in the hole, hoping that someone will come and get you out." He thrust upwards, catching her on the chin. InuYami went flying. Sesshoumaru laughed, raising his hand to the sky.

;-:-;-:-;

"InuYasha! Look!" Kagome cried. The hanyou looked upwards. His eyes widened.

"But the sky was perfectly clear just a moment ago!" he breathed. And it had been. But now the night sky was cloudy and dark...and it was concentrated mostly on one place. InuYasha knelt down. Kagome hopped on his back, and the half-demon leapt into the air. "There's something about those clouds," he murmured. "Something I don't like. We need to get back home."

"Those clouds are right above our home!"

"No. You can't see it as well as I can, Kagome. Those clouds are right above the field behind our house..." He paused, sensing Kagome's disbelief. "Demons have better depth perception and eyesight," he said simply.

InuYasha touched down at the back door of the house. Shippou was standing there, doing a little worried dance. He kept pacing back and forth, occasionally leaping into the air and biting his nails. "Shippou, what's wrong?"

"Aah! Aah!" the fox demon cried. "I can't...find...Yami! She ran away! I tried to follow her, but then the stormclouds came and I took Tsugaru back in the house and put him in bed! When I finally got back, I lost the scent! Aaaaah!" He ran in a circle. InuYasha growled and slammed his fist down on Shippou's head. Shippou stopped spazzing out long enough to whimper softly.

"Calm down, fox boy," the hanyou growled. "Which way did she run?"

Shippou's response was exactly what the worried father feared. The youkai reached out with a trembling hand and pointed towards the field.


	7. Chapter 7

"InuYasha! Kagome! Shippou!"

The three turned, each at the sound of their name. Streaking down from the sky was Kilala, Sango and Miroku on her back. InuYasha sighed with relief. Reinforcements. He never thought he'd be so glad to see someone other than Kagome running towards him.

"We saw the clouds," Sango said without getting of Kilala's back. "Something bad's happening, isn't it?"

"Very bad. InuYami's out there!" Kagome cried. Tsugaru chose that moment to appear. He opened the door slowly, blinking out at the world.

"Shippou...I had a bad dream," he whispered as his eyes found the babysitter. "I dreamed that Yami was hurt real bad, and no one knew where she was...But I could hear her saying 'follow the light, follow the light.' But it was all dark and scary, and I didn't see any light. I'm scared, Ship—"

He broke off, staring wide-eyed at the sky as lightning stabbed through the clouds. InuYasha nodded, almost as if to himself. "Well, that's one problem solved," he muttered. "Now to solve the biggest one: finding her. Kagome...go get your bow and the Tetsusaiga." Kagome nodded and rushed into the house.

There were a few tense minutes of waiting. Shippou made a popping sound and transformed into a large goose. He motioned for Tsugaru to climb on. The little hanyou did so. InuYasha didn't really want to take his only son into danger, but he couldn't leave him all alone. The door opened and Kagome reappeared holding the items.

InuYasha reattached Tetsusaiga's sheath to his belt. He patted it gently. "Ah...there's a feeling I missed." He felt the familiar weight of Kagome on his back. Nodding to those around him, he jumped up into the sky. "Sango, have Kilala run beside me. Shippou, fly behind," he ordered. "I don't want you flying Tsugaru straight into danger."

"Man, I knew I should've let someone else take the kid," Shippou muttered.

"Hey!" Tsugaru shouted. "You just fly, Shippou. We have to find InuYami! I know my dream was real. She's hurt! Hurry, Shippou! Fly faster!"

"I do that and I'll pass your father."

"Daddy, go faster!"

"I'm trying, Tsuga."

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru sealed off the area carefully. He smiled. "No one will be able to pass through this barrier," he murmured. "No human, hanyou, or youkai...No one can stop me."

InuYami moaned softly and gripped the armor in her hands. She shuddered. Her eyes were slitted, and everything hurt. The youkai knew that she was going to die. No one knew where she was...no one even had a clue...She was cold and alone...The stress and the pain became too much for her young mind to bear, and she blacked out.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha dropped down just at the edge of the field. His eyes narrowed angrily. "Sesshoumaru," he growled.

"Where's Yami?" Kagome cried, clutching her bow and quiver to her chest. "Where is she?"

InuYasha sniffed. "Her scent is here. I can smell her, but the grass is too tall to see for sure without giving myself away...Shippou, act like a rat."

"What, and give you guys awa...Oh. I think I know what you're getting at!" Shippou nodded. With another pop, he became a small brown rat with a fox tail. "Like this?"

"Lose the tail!" InuYasha hissed.

"I can't!" Shippou squeaked. "I can only make it longer." And he did. It was still thick, but at least it had lost some of its fluffiness. With that, he squeaked and scurried off into the night.

;-:-;-:-;

Rat-Shippou scuttled through the grass. _Let's see...InuYami's scent is everywhere. I just hope she's not by Sesshoumaru._ He sat up, poking his head above the grass. His rat eyes could just make out a small splash of red on the ground. He snapped his claws._ Me! Well, guess I gotta go closer._

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru's quick eyesight caught a glimpse of a brown rat coming towards him. He held his ground, eyes not leaving the rat for an instant. He watched the rat break into a run and—_SMACK!_—slam straight into the barrier. He glowered. That was no rat.

The rat sat up, shaking its head. It looked up to see Sesshoumaru pointing at it. "I see through your disguise. Change back!"

The rat squealed and sped away through the grass. Sesshoumaru followed it back to the edge of the field with his eyes. He smiled as soft voices reached his ears. "Shippou, you moron! He's looking right at us!" "He is...?" "You may look like a fox, but you're about as smart as an ant!"

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," the youkai sang softly. "I know you're hiding there, brother. What's the matter? Do you still hold a grudge?"

There was the sound of someone being punched. InuYasha leapt from the grass to land in front of Sesshoumaru. The hanyou's golden eyes flicked left and right until finally—"YAMI!" Sesshoumaru smiled.

"I see I have someone you know with me. Yes, InuYasha...She's here."

"You bastard! What have you done to her?" InuYasha drew the Tetsusaiga. The sword remained rusted and battered. It was then that InuYasha remembered. _It only changes when I'm defending a human! InuYami is all demon!_

"Temper, temper...I see the fang-sword rejects the child...How interesting."

InuYasha ignored the remark. "What have you done to her?" he repeated in a grating voice.

"What have _I_ done?" Sesshoumaru smiled coldly. "I have done nothing. She willingly gave me her life energy. She brought me back." He noticed the look of stunned disbelief on his half brother's face. "You see, InuYami was in need of the kind and caring ear of her beloved Uncle Sesshoumaru."

"You poisoned her mind," the hanyou snarled, sheathing his sword angrily.

"Stand back, InuYasha!" Kagome called. She lifted her bow and aimed for Sesshoumaru's heart. Standing behind her were Sango, Kilala, and Shippou, each ready to fight.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the youkai warned. "InuYami and I are bonded. If you wish to see her dragged to hell with me, shoot at will."

"Kagome, don't!" InuYasha barked. "I see it now. Can't you see what he's got in his hand?"

Kagome looked closer. She spotted a small wisp of something held in the demon's hand. "A soul?" she asked.

"Life," InuYasha corrected. "Yami's life. He took it from her, and now he's got it in his very hands. If you kill him now, he will be dragged down to hell, but he will take her with him!"

Kagome lowered her bow. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Now that I have life, I want nothing." Sesshoumaru tugged the life-cord in his hand. InuYami shivered and moaned softly. Kagome nearly burst into tears. Tsugaru had been right. InuYami was indeed in pain. "And now that I hold someone's life, I fear nothing."

"If they truly are bonded, nothing can make him let go willingly," Sango murmured.

"Then perhaps I can knock it out of his hand!" InuYasha drew his sword and leapt at Sesshoumaru. He could see the delicate veins in his brother's eyes when out of nowhere he slammed into something hard. The hanyou dropped down to the ground, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"I can't get through..." he muttered. "It's like he's got some sort of wall in front of him."

"Maybe it doesn't let half demons through!" Shippou suggested. "I'm youkai; maybe I can get through!" He jumped, only to meet the same fate as InuYasha.

"Maybe it doesn't let any demon through, half or whole," Sango murmured. "Kagome, we're human. It's worth a shot."

Together, the two women lunged, and were knocked back by the invisible wall. InuYasha shook his head. He reached forward and placed his hand on the barrier. Sesshoumaru laughed. "No hanyou, no youkai, no human. Nothing can pass through," he said. "Stop trying."

But Sango was not ready to give up just yet. "Kilala! See if you can get through!" To the others, she added, "Kilala is a different kind of demon. Maybe she can do it." The demon cat roared and lunged. She was knocked back in her kitten form. She sat up, mewing her confusion. Sango picked her up. "It's okay. You tried."

InuYasha groaned. Even if they could find some way to get through, they couldn't hurt Sesshoumaru for fear of hurting InuYami. It was useless.

;-:-;-:-;

Tsugaru struggled to free himself. "But Mr. Miroku! I can help! It doesn't let hanyou, humans, or youkai through, but I can go through!"

Miroku tried hard to keep the thrashing child in his hands. "No, Tsugaru! You're hanyou as well. You can't get through!"

"No! I can! I'm too human to be a hanyou, but I have demon blood, too! I'm not a hanyou! Hanyou are _half_ demon! I'm not _half_ demon!" Inspiration struck him, perhaps given to him by his sister's spirit. He stopped struggling. Miroku relaxed his grip slightly. It was just enough for the boy to free himself and make a run for it.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

InuYasha whipped around to see Tsugaru running towards him through the grass, followed closely by his babysitter, Miroku. The hanyou child reached his father's side without any signs of tiredness. Miroku, however, was completely out of breath. He slumped to the ground, gasping and panting hard.

"Tsugaru, what are you—?"

"Daddy, there's no time to explain!" For a six-year-old, his face was incredibly serious. "I'm not demon enough to be hanyou, but demon enough not to be human! I can do it! And I know how!"

InuYasha knew better than to ask how his son knew what to do. Tsugaru had a point. There was barely any demon blood in him, but there was some. He knelt down in front of the child. "Tsugaru, I'm placing all of my trust in you. If you can get in there, try and pull the life from his hands. If you can't do it, come back as fast as you can." He laid his hands on Tsugaru's shoulders. "All right? I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, Daddy." Tsugaru took a deep breath. "I need the Tetsusaiga. It's the only way!"

InuYasha unsheathed the fang-sword and placed it in his son's hands. "Be careful," he whispered. Tsugaru nodded, and broke into a run. He ran straight at the barrier, head down. At the last second, he thrust out his hand. "Smasher Claw!" he shouted. His claws flashed dark gray. There was the faint sound of glass breaking as the tiny boy shattered the wall with his bare hand.


	8. Chapter 8

When the little Tsugaru shattered the barrier that had blocked everyone else out, there were a few seconds where he was the only one moving. Sesshoumaru was frozen with shock. _A child broke my wall? A **child**?_

Tsugaru ran to his sister's side. He sniffed the armor in her claws. There were no scent clues to suggest it was important. _Maybe she just grabbed it to have something to hold onto when she hurt._ He was about to give up and run back to his father. Something had told him that the armor was the problem...but it didn't smell important.

"Get away from her, runt!" Sesshoumaru snapped. Tsugaru turned to see him with his two fingers pointed at him. "I will kill you."

Tsugaru noticed how he held the life-cord in his hand. The boy traced it back to InuYami. The cord appeared to go into her chest from afar, but up close it was actually going into the armor. It was a subtle difference, one that had to be seen up close to be noticed. Tsugaru raised the sword, preparing to strike the armor. Sesshoumaru came a few steps closer before he stopped. In a fit of terror, Tsugaru wet himself.

"Get away from my daughter," the youkai snarled.

InuYasha pounded his fist against the barrier. "Your daughter?" he shouted. "Fat chance, Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru turned back to his half brother. "I assure you, the chance is neither fat nor slim. InuYami is my daughter. How else would a pure demon be born of a human and a half-breed?"

"But you...you were dead," Kagome stammered. "Long before she was even...started."

"I was," Sesshoumaru admitted. "However, while she is not the daughter of my body, she is the daughter of my spirit. The night she was conceived, I was there. I sent my spirit into Kagome's body to start a youkai." He paused briefly.

"So InuYami is your kid?" InuYasha laughed harshly. "I hate to break it to ya, Sesshoumaru, but she doesn't look a thing like you!"

"The night she was conceived was the night after that of the new moon. I could not overpower her completely. She was given my blood, but your half-breed looks. Unfortunately..."

Kagome gritted her teeth. Frankly, she found the whole thing disturbing. Someone had actually been _watching _her and InuYasha have..."You're _sick!_" she shrieked angrily, aiming another arrow at him. "Sick, sick, sick! I'm gonna put you down, demon dog!"

"Kagome, no!" InuYasha knocked the bow from her hands. "He'll take InuYami with him! You heard him! He didn't make her completely his! She's still our daughter."

Kagome gazed guiltily at her fallen bow. She nodded. "I forgot...he has InuYami..."

Tsugaru took advantage to try his luck. He shut one eye, aiming for the extending bar of armor. If he could just crack that one part of it, maybe Sesshoumaru would release his sister. The boy raised the Tetsusaiga.

"No you don't!" Sesshoumaru growled, raising his claws to strike the child. Tsugaru held his ground fearlessly. He held the Tetsusaiga even higher.

"I will!" he cried. And he stood there. Tsugaru was not the most intimidating sight in the world, with tears of fear running down his face and his pants below the groin noticeably wet. But it mattered not. He was standing up to a big bully, a big bully with the power to end his and every he loved's lives with one hand tied behind his back. InuYami might have been mean, but now that he knew why, it didn't matter. He was prepared to die saving her.

All of this from a boy who still slept with a night-light.

"You put yourself in a corner, Uncle Sesshoumaru," Tsugaru said boldly. "You're stuck here. No half demon, human, or _full_ demon can get past this wall. I can break it, but any hole I make is too small for you to use. Add to it, I can stop you."

"Oh. And how would you do that?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice mockingly sweet.

"I know how you're holding her to you!"

"And how is that?"

"I'm not gonna tell you 'cause you'll kill me."

"I'll kill you even if you don't, my boy. Now step away from the girl and I promise it will be quick."

"Kill me here and now," Tsugaru taunted. "Or are you too scared of hitting her?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Tsugaru?" InuYasha muttered. "Don't tempt him. He'll kill you as soon as look at you."

Tsugaru knew that as long as he held Tetsusaiga where it was, Sesshoumaru wouldn't touch him. But the moment he changed position, the demon would be on him before he could think. It was he who was in the corner, not Sesshoumaru. Tsugaru was stuck. He became even more afraid. He was just a little boy, a little boy who slept with a night-light and who had just wet his pants. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his parents. He wanted to cry, to give up...but InuYami. He gazed down at his big sister.

That was InuYami. That was his sister. That was the meaning of life for him. A little prickly at times, but when things got scary, she was always there for him, her anger put aside. He couldn't let her down. She needed him now more than ever. She had helped him out so many times in his life...now he would repay the favor.

"Uncle Sesshoumaru..." he began, closing his eyes as if preparing to give in.

"Yes, child?"

Tsugaru was silent. He gripped the sword tighter and opened one eye a slit. He focused hard on the weakest part of the armor: where the bar joined the band. Taking a deep breath, he hissed, "You'll never win. Never." He opened both eyes fully and plunged the sword into the joint. "NEVER!" he screeched. There was a snap, and a shattering noise. The armor broke in two.

"You..." Sesshoumaru forgot everything and dropped the life-cord. He reached over and lifted Tsugaru up by his throat. "You think you can win, don't you? You think you can defeat me. You think you have what it takes."

"Let me go! Daddy!"

InuYasha snapped. He gave a low rumble and charged, smashing himself against the wall again and again. Every time he was repelled, he became madder and madder. His eyes flashed bright red. He stood, panting. "Lord InuYasha, if I may offer advice..." a voice by his ear said calmly.

"Myouga...this had better be good."

"Use the sheath to call the Tetsusaiga. It's worked before." Before InuYasha could say any more, the flea was gone. The hanyou struggled to regain control of his conscious mind. He had almost been pushed to his youkai form. In an act of faith, he held the sheath out in front of him.

The cast-aside blade began to hum and glow. Sesshoumaru glanced down at it, momentarily distracted from Tsugaru. His eyes widened. Tetsusaiga flew, blade foremost, toward the barrier. InuYasha held out his hand and caught it. He raced through the broken wall before it could reform. "Put him down, Sesshoumaru," he snarled. The youkai smiled.

"Oh. Have I made you angry, little brother? Have I pulled your little tail?" He threw Tsugaru to the side. The boy landed beside his sister, dazed, but alive. "Let's see what you're made of."

InuYasha held out Tetsusaiga. The sword had transformed. _It's because I'm protecting Tsugaru...he must be human enough to cause it to transform._ Sesshoumaru grinned. "Our father's fang," he mused. "I never understood why a half-breed like you could use it well enough to kill a full demon like myself."

"Maybe I was his favorite," InuYasha retorted. "After all, he did choose _me_ to guard his grave, didn't he? Where's Tenseiga? Don't tell me you lost _your_ sword."

Sesshoumaru scowled. "You know very well what happened to my sword," he hissed.

"Oh, that's right." InuYasha placed a claw on his bottom lip, appearing to be thoughtful. "I remember now. I broke it in two, didn't I? How on earth could I have forgotten?" He smiled sarcastically.

;-:-;-:-;

Kagome pounded on the barrier. It had sealed up again, cutting the others off from the group of hanyou and youkai. She gripped her bow tightly in her free hand. "It's no good. I can't break it."

"It seems that only certain power can shatter it," Miroku observed calmly. "Think about it. Tsugaru's Smasher Claw attack. InuYasha's Tetsusaiga."

"Demon powers," Sango muttered. "A pity we're stuck here with just humans, isn't it?" She leaned on Kilala. Miroku sat on the cat's back, folding his arms on her head. Kagome laughed. Sango and Miroku stared like she had gone mad. Kagome kept laughing, leaning against the barrier to keep herself from falling over.

"You don't get it!" she cried, tears of laughter jumping to her eyes. "You just don't get it, but it's right there in front of you!"

"What don't we get?" Miroku asked, stroking Kilala's ears gently.

"Kagome, are you feeling all right?"

Kagome's laughter faded slowly. She wiped her eyes. "Oh...you just don't...Look at who you're with! Look at that big kitten you have!"

Sango blinked, then started to laugh. Kagome laughed with her. Miroku peered down the demon cat's forehead. "Is there something I'm not getting here?"

"Kilala is a demon cat with demon powers!" Sango and Kagome chorused. The monk blinked. Realization entered his gaze. He nodded.

"Of course...The answer...it's been staring us in the face this whole time. I've even been leaning all over it."

"Don't forget me!" Shippou shouted. "But how am I gonna break it? Do I have any honest powers...not just illusions?"

"I'm going in there and getting Tsugaru and InuYami," Kagome said. "You can watch them and make sure they're all right." She hopped on Kilala's back. The demon cat roared and swiped her claws at the wall. The blow bounced back. They weren't getting in.

Tsugaru laid a hand on his sister's chest. He couldn't feel her heartbeat, but who needed that? He could see her chest heaving as she fought for life.


	9. Chapter 9

"It's just you and I, brother," Sesshoumaru said. "Another fight to the death. One that will play out differently than our first, assuredly."

"You only wish, Sesshoumaru," InuYasha growled. The Tetsusaiga pulsed in his hand. He crouched, then sprang, swiping out. Sesshoumaru dodged easily.

"Was that aimed at me?" he asked mildly. InuYasha struck out again. The blow skimmed the demon's boa, trimming a few inches of the fur off. Sesshoumaru hissed angrily. "Poison Flower Claws!"

InuYasha ducked away form the green claw attack. Sesshoumaru struck the ground. The soil turned a sick shade of green. While his brother was distracted briefly, InuYasha struck, slicing at his back. He was about to cleave the youkai in two when Sesshoumaru heard the blade sing through the air. He escaped with a long, deep scratch.

"Why are you running?" InuYasha asked. He ran forward, Tetsusaiga ready. "Are you afraid of your little brother?"

Sesshoumaru smirked, swiping out with his green claws again. InuYasha snapped his head back, barely avoiding the attack.

;-:-;-:-;

"InuYami!" Tsugaru whispered, shaking his sister's shoulder. "Wake up!...Please! Wake up!...I'm scared...whenever I'm scared, you're always there to make it better...Wake up!" He started to cry. His sister made no response; only her chest moved as she breathed, fast and shallow.

;-:-;-:-;

Kagome fired another arrow off at the barrier. It pinged off, coming to rest at her feet along with half of the quiverful. The woman strung another arrow to her bow and fired. It met the same fate as the rest. Angrily, she fitted a third, and a fourth. When she had emptied her quiver, Kagome scooped the arrows up again and kept firing.

"Kagome, give it up!" Shippou told her. "You're not going to break it with arrows. This is the third time you've gone through your quiver, and if you keep going, you'll damage your arrows!"

"I _will_ break it!" Kagome snapped back, firing again. "I'll break it if it's the last thing I do! You watch, Shippou!"

Sango sighed and shook her head. "Maternal instincts can make a person crazy," she murmured. "Which is partly why I've decided to not have children."

Miroku turned his head to the side, apparently trying to hide the look of disappointment on his face. Shippou leaned back against Kilala's flank. The demon cat licked his head as if to say, _We will find a way._

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha growled low and lunged. Sesshoumaru ducked back, weaving under him. The hanyou smiled grimly and slashed down. It was what he had been waiting for. The slice made contact with the demon's arm, almost severing it and rendering it unusable. Sesshoumaru grunted. He grabbed the useless limb and tore it off himself. "Clever trick, brother."

"I'm full of 'em," InuYasha replied. He slashed out. Sesshoumaru dodged again.

"Come, now. Surely you can do better than that!"

InuYasha leapt back, calculating carefully. He wasn't going to fall for Sesshoumaru's taunts and make a mistake. Not with his children's lives on the line. He needed a plan...something bold. Something so unbelievable, Sesshoumaru would never know what hit him. Something fast...something like...

_Ting! _The sound of an arrow ricocheting off of the barrier gave him an idea. Tetsusaiga had shattered the wall once before. Why couldn't it do it again? He just hoped that Kagome was keeping a steady aim on Sesshoumaru. Everything depended on her hitting him. Not killing him, but distracting him. In an act of faith, InuYasha slammed the hilt of his sword into the wall behind him.

;-:-;-:-;

Kagome heard the barrier shatter. She knew she only had one chance. She lifted her bow and released the arrow, praying that it would hit its mark.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha snarled as the arrow hissed into the back of his left arm. He tugged the arrow out. His white dog ears tuned into the sound of the barrier reforming itself. He slammed Tetsusaiga again. "Not me!" he shouted.

;-:-;-:-;

Kagome strung another arrow. Wrong mark. She aimed a little more carefully this time. Not for Sesshoumaru's heart. InuYasha would receive the sole pleasure of slaying his treacherous half brother. She released the arrow, and it found its mark in the youkai's knee.

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru hissed softly. He turned his attention briefly to the new pain: an arrow wound. Tugging the shaft, he found it stuck in the joint of his knee. Now his leg was useless. Things were not going well. He looked up in time to see InuYasha race towards him, Tetsusaiga ready. With a swift yank, the arrow came loose, but the tendons were too damaged to allow full motion.

He only had one chance. Sesshoumaru groped for the life-cord. If he could manage to grab it, no one could harm him. No one would dare. The youkai struggled to focus not on the approaching InuYasha, but on the dropped life. Where was it? Where?

;-:-;-:-;

Tsugaru had it. He had reeled in the thin life and was holding onto it with white-knuckled hands.

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru spotted it and plunged his claws into the ground. He started to drag himself towards the two children. He gritted his teeth. "Come now, boy...give your Uncle Sesshoumaru what you've got," he murmured. "Give it back." He was making progress, slowly and steadily. Tsugaru panicked and dropped the cord.

In that instant, Sesshoumaru grabbed it!

InuYasha froze. Sesshoumaru held the cord up triumphantly. "You see, brother? I always win...Maybe if you were a full demon, you would have had a chance. Now...just back away..."

But InuYasha's mind had hatched a desperate plan. He held Tetsusaiga high above his head. "Kaze no Kizu!" he cried, and slashed the air. The claws of energy struck Sesshoumaru full on, slicing him in half. He laughed.

"Too late...I already have her..."

All around the dying youkai, the pits of hell opened up. The demons screeched and laid hands on Sesshoumaru, dragging him down. Tsugaru screamed. InuYami's body was being dragged with him. InuYasha dashed forward and sliced the life-cord. Sesshoumaru howled his rage and slowly...vanished.

The barrier collapsed with the sound of a wine glass being dropped. Kilala's roar rent the air as she raced in, paws and tails flaming. InuYasha dropped Tetsusaiga. He ran to his daughter's side, lifting her gently.

"InuYami..." he whispered softly. Kagome crouched beside him, bow in one hand. "InuYami..."

The daughter of Kagome, InuYasha, and Sesshoumaru coughed. The spasms racked her small body, almost destructively. Her fit subsided slowly, and breath rasped in her throat. She opened a golden eye slowly. "D...Dad..."

"Yes," InuYasha murmured, holding her close. "Yes...It's all right, Yami. It's all right."

"No," InuYami rasped. She struggled to free herself from the embrace. "It's not all right, Dad...I messed everything up. I...I put everyone in danger...I—"

"Don't try to talk," Kagome urged gently. "Save your strength."

"I have to say it now...'cause I don't know if I'm gonna...die or not..." InuYami struggled to open both eyes and focus them on her parents' faces. "I'm...sorry. I went into the attic...and I stole the band...Ms. Sango told me to get rid of it...and I tried." She sighed softly. "But then I saw Uncle Sesshoumaru, and he...he made me think you guys were the evil ones..."

"InuYami, you're allowed to make mistakes," InuYasha soothed. "Everyone is."

"But mine was bad...He would've killed...all of you...You guys...Tusgaru...Shippou...Mr. Miroku and Ms. Sango...Kilala...everyone in the world...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Yami," Kagome whispered, stroking the soft white hair from her daughter's face. "We forgive you. He's gone now...you don't have to worry about him. He was just a bad dream...just go back to sleep and keep on dreaming..."

InuYami's eyes filled with tears. Suddenly she grabbed her father's robe and shrieked, "Daddy...I DON'T WANNA DIE!" She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. She dropped her facade in that instant. For so long she had pretended to be an adult, for so long she had denied her childish wants and fears. Now that she was faced with the ultimate terror, there was no maintaining her mask. She cried like the frightened child she was. Cried until she had no tears left. Her parents soothed her as best as they could. Finally, her sobs calmed into tiny whimpers, and then to soft breaths. InuYasha stood up.

"You won't die," he promised. "Not if I can do anything about it."

Kagome cradled Tsugaru in her arms. "You were brave," she praised. "You were willing to risk your life for InuYami's. I'm proud of you, Tsugaru. You could be a brave warrior like your father."

"I don't wanna," Tsugaru muttered. "I don't wanna fight anyone. I don't wanna kill anyone. I'm too scared. Let InuYami be the brave one. I'll be the one who watches and tells her how good she did."

Kagome smiled at her gentle son. He clung to her tightly, eyes squeezed shut. He shuddered, as if the mere thought of fighting and killing was enough to scare him. "Come on, let's go home and get you cleaned up," she said. "And we can get your sister in bed..." She looked up at InuYasha. The hanyou was still focused on his daughter's face, biting his lip. "I...InuYasha...?"

He looked up. There was something more to his expression than met the eyes, Kagome was sure. He looked...almost hopeful. He nodded. "Let's go back. All of us."

He bent down and sheathed Tetsusaiga without setting InuYami down. His fingers reached up and gently touched his ears, then down to touch InuYami's. The ghost of a smile crossed his face. He ran a claw softly along her red robe, so much like his own. He nodded to himself. He stroked her silvery hair and moved a stray lock from her face. The hanyou stood there, eyes focused on the child in his arms. She had Sesshoumaru's demon blood...but she was his daughter.


	10. Chapter 10

InuYasha sat, a cup of tea in his hands. He tried to focus on the faces around him, and not that of the young girl. InuYami was lying on a small pallet in the living room. Her face was devoid of any expression or life. The hanyou's golden gaze flickered briefly from the face of Kagome to that of InuYami, then back again.

"How long has it been now?" Sango asked, her hand resting on kitten Kilala's back.

"Three days," InuYasha murmured, even though the question had not been directed at him. "And she still hasn't regained consciousness...It worries me. She's a demon; she should have recovered by now. I'm only half demon, and everything from that night is gone. It was gone when I woke up the next day."

"She is much smaller than you are," Miroku pointed out mildly. "And what she went through was much different than what you did. You had to cope with physical pain and tiredness. She had to cope with realization that she had been used, not to mention having most of her life stolen from her. She's not as sturdy as you think she is, InuYasha."

InuYasha sighed. "I know...Damn. I can't help feeling like this is all my fault, though."

"It's not," Kagome assured him. "She went to the attic of her own free will, she chose to keep seeing Sesshoumaru, she brought it on herself. You can't blame yourself." She paused. "And I'm being bluntly honest, yes, I know. I'm just as worried as you are."

Tsugaru drew closer to his mother. She was his only consolation so long as InuYami was out of commission. He just couldn't find as much comfort in his father as he could in his mother. Perhaps it was the issue of demon blood. He sighed. "I just wish she'd wake up soon...I'm scared."

"Don't be," Kagome murmured. "You're not alone, Tsuga...We're all here for you."

"I want Yami!" he cried, burying his face in her side. His mother wrapped her arms around him, rocking back and forth gently.

InuYasha got to his feet while the pair was distracted. There was a definition to the relationships. Kagome had Tsugaru. InuYasha had InuYami. She had a human son. He had a demon daughter. He sat down beside the makeshift bed and stroked her hair gently. InuYami was alive, but at the same time, dead. She breathed and moved occasionally, yet she had yet to open her eyes or speak. He sighed. A hand was laid on his shoulder. He turned to see Sango beside him.

"She'll wake up when she's recovered," the woman promised. "You're not going to bring her out of this by yourself. Just be patient. She's alive, which is more than you could have said if you hadn't cut the life-cord." InuYasha nodded. "Come on back and eat something. There's something about your stride that says you've been starving yourself."

The hanyou grinned wryly. It was true. Three days had passed since his last meal. He allowed Sango to lead him back to the rest of the group, where he sat down and grabbed a rice ball. He ate slowly, trying not to remember how much InuYami loved the food in his hands. Miroku leaned back.

"Well..." he began, obviously trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "...Ah...Er...Um..."

"Spit it out," Sango ordered sharply.

"Will you bear my children?" he asked suddenly, taking both her hands in one of his. Sango jumped, startled.

"You haven't asked me that in months...Or years..." Sango blinked up at him, then her gaze hardened. Miroku's face was calm and happy. Sango lashed out, catching him across the face. He dropped back, a red handprint appearing on his cheek. "Not...ever..."

Kagome shook her head. "What are we going to do with him?"

"You don't wanna know...and I'm not gonna say in front of the children." Sango gritted her teeth angrily. She raised a fist, then let it fall to her side.

Tsugaru had been watching the whole incident with great interest. He cocked his head to one side. "Mr. Miroku?" he asked. "Why were you touching Ms. Sango there? My Mommy says that I should never let people do that to me. Is it different for grown-ups?"

Miroku opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, and repeated the process a few more times. Finally he spoke. "Well...you shouldn't...that is to say...What I mean is...Uh..."

"Tsugaru, perhaps you should just forget the whole thing," Sango said. "It's really between me and Mr. Miroku."

Tsugaru nodded innocently. InuYasha chuckled softly. "You backed yourself right into that one," he muttered. He glanced over at InuYami, then took another bite of rice ball. "I waffn't gonna helf you."

"I know," Miroku mumbled, rubbing his cheek.

The hanyou returned his attention to the food in his hands. Three days...Three days. It had been three days since Sesshoumaru had risen again. Three days since he found out his daughter's secret. Three days since he had last heard her voice. If she didn't drink soon, she would die. _Maybe we should take her back to Kaogme's time...there could be people who could help her there._ He heard a soft sniffing and looked up. Tsugaru was starting to cry again.

"Don't cry," Kagome was whispering to him. "It'll be okay..."

InuYasha was content to just let her soothe him, but something was distracting him. There was another sniffing sound...this one more insistent. Someone was trying to draw in a scent. He heard a soft voice behind him ask, "Are those Mom's rice balls I smell? Someone was going to wake me up, right?" He turned.

Standing behind him was InuYami. She rubbed at one eye sleepily, looking for all the world like a child who had woken up in the middle of the night. InuYasha swept her up, holding her close. "Yami..." he whispered, breathing in her gentle scent. The youkai hugged him back.

"Dad...I'm sorry."

"It's all over now. Come on, you need something to eat."

"Breakfast?"

"Lunch, actually." He put her down on the floor. "Sit down."

InuYami sat cross-legged beside him and grabbed a rice ball. She took huge gulps of the food, smiling and licking her lips happily. Kagome handed her a glass of milk. "Don't eat so fast, InuYami. You'll give yourself a stomachache."

"She'll be fine," InuYasha said. "She needs to eat." He laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. The golden stares met, and the two demons gazed at each other. InuYami saw relief and love glow in her father's eyes. InuYasha saw contentment and pure strength burn in his daughter's. He smiled. Why had he even doubted her?

Shippou, who had been relatively silent, chose now to break the tender mood. Silently, he crept up behind InuYasha and made bunny ears over the demon's head. InuYami giggled. InuYasha turned around, but Shippou disguised himself on the wall. When the hanyou turned back to his daughter, the fox demon struck again, using both hands to make "moose antlers." Again, InuYami laughed. InuYasha did not turn, but waited. When Shippou got ready for another attempt, the white doggy ears twitched. InuYasha reached out behind and snatched Shippou off the ground.

"Don't..." he warned, and released Shippou. The fox demon scurried off to sit by Tsugaru, his tail low.

InuYami looked from smiling face to smiling face. She put down her cup and stood up. The golden eyes flicked from person to person as she spoke. "I have something to say...I'm...really sorry...I didn't know he was going to...I just didn't think..." Her vision blurred as tears rose into her eyes. She sat back down, rubbing her eyes furiously. Why did she have to cry now?

"Don't blame yourself. You're a child. You wouldn't have known." Her father's voice was gentle and calm. "What happened, happened. No one can change that." He put a finger under InuYami's chin and lifted it to gaze into her eyes. "And no one can change how much I love you, InuYami."

InuYami made a soft mewing noise that signaled more tears. She tackled him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Together they sat, locked in that simple embrace. It was almost impossible to tell the two demons apart from each other. In the tenderness of the moment, the hanyou momentarily lost his iron grip on his emotions. A single shining tear slid down his cheek.

A/N: And so ends my first InuYasha fanfiction. Thank you especially to The-world-needs-peace for reviewing so faithfully. I hope you enjoyed it. (nudge) If you want me to write another, I'd do it. ;)


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